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% The Glass factory. %
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,,=\%*£#@# Several Centuries After It Had Last #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Belonged To Us, We Went On An Outing To @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# The Glass Factory That Bore Our Family #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ Name. It Had Changed Owners Many Times £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Since Our Ancestors Death, And Then #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Stood Abandoned For A Long While. @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# Finally, The Natural End Station For #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ The Buildings That Survive: A Museum, @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# And A Gift Shop. #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# There'S A Long Time Since My Family #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Made Anything. By Many, We Would Be @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# Considered Poor. #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# There Are Two Main Factory Buildings, #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ Domed Things Of Several Floors, Made In £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Yellow Brick. Large But Narrow Windows, #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Reminescent Of Some Cathedral. @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# Custom-Made Glass, Of Course, Large And #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Practical. On The Eastern Building, #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ Some Are Shattered. £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ The Other One Is Publicly Open. There'S @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# A Museum, With Wax Figures Of My Great #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Great Great Grandfather, Or Something. @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Glass Of Varying Thickness. #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# %% #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ %% %% @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# ======= % % ======= #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ %% %% £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# %% #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# I Quickly Sneak Out, And Climb Into The #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Other Building. The Contrast Is @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Overwhelming. It Must Have Stood #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ Derelict For A Long Time, Windows £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Broken, Metallic Trash And Pools Of #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Dark Glass All Over The Floor. No @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# Electric Lights, But I Can See By The #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Light That Shines In Wherever The Dark @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Windows Are Missing A Pane. #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# However, The Greatest Difference Is The #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Higher Floors: This Building Has None. @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# It Is One Massive Hall, Stretching Away #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Infinitely Above Me. Somewhere Up There @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Is Some Great Iron Latticework, From #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ Where Chains Are Suspended, And Parts £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Of Machinery Has Been Falling Down. #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# There Is, In The Middle Of The Great #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Hall, A Thin Spiral Staircase That @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Leads Up There. I Sneak Over There, And #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ Take A Few Reluctant Steps. After Just £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# A Revolution, I Notice That For Each #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Step The Building Starts To Glow, The @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# Bricks Turning A Dark Red, And Then #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Orange, All The Piled Up Debree Being @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Lit From Behind. #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# I Stop Ready To Run Down And Out, But #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ There'S Someone Else On The Staircase @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# With Me Now, Pressed Close. He'S #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Looking Like Me, Short Hair And Thin @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Arms, But With Ears From Some Animal, #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ And More Disturbingly, Completely Made £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Of Dark Liquid glass. #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# %% #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ %% %% @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# ======= % % ======= #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ %% %% £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# %% #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# My Fear Holds Me In Place While He #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Starts Operating Levers And Dials Set @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# In The Center Of The Staircase. Slowly, #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ It Starts Spinning, Circling Upwards. £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# It'S An Elevator! I Start To Run #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Downwards, But Now The Liquid Boy @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# Creature Grabs Hold Of Me. I Try To #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Shake Him Off, But He'S Too Strong, And @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Pulls Me Back Up Beside Him. #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# This Time, I Turn Angry Instead. What #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ The Hell? Who Is This Guy, Acting Like @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# This? I Reach Out My Free Arm And Slam #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ A Random Lever. Some Metal Bar Is @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Suddenly Released Between Us, Hitting #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ Him On The Arm, Forcing My Release. I £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Shove Him Off Of Me, And He Falls Into #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ The Levers, Messing Them Up. @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# Immediately, A Thin Rusty Chainmail #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Curtain Is Dropped Around Me. But The @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Elevator Also Speeds Up Significantly. #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# The Walls Are Flaring Now, Yellow, #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ White, Almost Blue. I Close My Eyes And @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# Curl Into A Ball. But Then, The Glass #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Boy Screams, A Piercing Sound That @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Forces My Eyes Back Open. I Watch As He #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ Becomes Too Liquid, His Body Pooling £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Down In His Now Massive Tail, And The #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In A Glass @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# Drop That Falls Toward The Factory #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Floor. @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ He'S Crawling On The Stairs, Unable To £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Keep His Body Upright. Can'T Reach The #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Levers, Claws At My Chainmail Cage, @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# While His Body Is Turning Into Dark #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Pearls. Finally, He'S Lost Too Much Of @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Himself And The Scream Is Cut Short. #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ The Last Of Him Rains Down. £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ I Still Can'T Reach The Levers From @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# Within My Cage. Looking Up, I Try To #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Make Out The Ceiling, But It'S All A @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Whirling Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ The Hellfire Of The Factory Walls, But £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Very Faint. I Sit Down, Curl Back Up, #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Become Still. @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ %% @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# %% %% #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ ======= % % ======= £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# %% %% #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ %% @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ A Large Clunk Shakes My Entire Body, @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# And Snaps Me Back Into Reality. I'M #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ Back At The Factory Floor, But The £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Stairs Are Still Moving Slightly, #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Clicking In Place, Carrying Me The Last @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# Few Centimeters. I Came From Below, #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ Somehow. The Chainmail Is Retracted, @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# And I Slowly Dismount The Stairs. #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Shaking And Crying, I Make My Way Over #£*%\=,,,,
,,,=\%*£#@ The Factory Floor, Wading Through Dark @#£*%\=,,,
,,=\%*£#@# Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And #@#£*%\=,,
,,,=\%*£#@ I See There'S Something Faint Inside @#£*%\=,,,
,,,,=\%*£# Them. Embryos? Are These Eggs? #£*%\=,,,,
,,,,,=\%*£ £*%\=,,,,,
,,,,=\%*£# I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. #£*%\=,,,,
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